Machine for stuffing olives



Sept. 11, 1951 a. w. ASHLOCK, JR

MACHINE FOR STUF'FING OLIVES Filed June 14, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 'eorye H4 AS/i/ock J/r BY ATTORNEY Sept. 11, 1951 G. w..AsH| ocK, JR 2,567,590

MACHINE FOR STUFFING OLIVES Filed June 14, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sept. 11, 195 s. w. ASHLOCK, JR

MACHINE FOR STUFFING OLIVES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 14, 1949 INVENTOR eorye 14 Ash/06k Jn BY ATTORNEY i f- IH-H-l-HH eb 1951 G. w. ASHLOCK, JR 2,557,590

MACHINE FOR STUFFING OLIVES Filed June 14, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVE'NTOR fieorye W Ash/oak J/r & BY

ATTORNEY Sept. 11, 195 G. w. ASHLOCK, JR

MACHINE FOR STUFFING OLIVES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 14, 1949 IN V EN TOR. l K fish/0 ck.

e orge RSR Ebbum: MN

4 TTORWE Y Patented Sept. 11, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to a machine for stuffing a material such as a strip of pimento and the like into a prepared article such as a pitted olive. It has been successfully employed on the preparation and stuffing of pimento strips into pitted olives, and will therefore be described particularly in this connection, although it is not limited inits application to use merely with either of thesematerials.

Pimento stuffed olives have heretofore either been hand or machine stuffed. Hand stuffing has been "performed with pimento paste or pimento strips, while machine stufiing has been confined toa paste. Paste stufling is unsatisfactory generally'because if the paste is made stiff enough to remain in the olive it i difiicult and slow to handle. Further, after the olives are stufied, the paste usually works out. If the olives are stuffed with pimento strips, the operation is slow and costly because prior to this invention it has only been performed by hand.

In accordance with this invention, I provide a machine for automatically stufling prepared articles such as olives with materials such as pimento strips.

It is in general the broad object of the present'invention to provide a suitable method and apparatus for preparation of pimento and the like in suitable strip forms for tuffing into olives and like pitted fruit.

Another object of the present invention is to provide for transfer of a preformed strip of pimento into a pittedolive.

A further object of the present inventionis to provide a machine for stufiing solid materials into pitted olives and the like.

The invention includes other objects and features of advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will appear hereinafter wherein the present preferred form of machine of this invention is disclosed.

Inthe drawing accompanying and forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a plan view of said machine.

Figure 2 is a section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

-..Figure 3'is a section taken along the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a front view of the pimento preparing mechanism.

Figure 9is a fragmentary view of the pimento conveyor advancing mechanism. 7

Figure 10' is a front elevation showing the mechanism utilized to advance the pimento feed cover ll.

' broken away.

The frame To provide a suitable support for the various elements I provide a suitable base structure [.5

having several walls IS on which is mounteda A sheet metal casing I8 is placed. about the base and is secured by studs 19 to the cover I! to enclose the several elements. and protect them.

Theolive carrier Mounted upon the cover I1 is a vertically extending shaft 2| supported in a suitable bearing structure 22 secured by studs 23 to the cover l1. At its upper end, shaft 2| carries a flange 24 to which a circular table 26 is secured by studs 21. Table 26 is thus'removably mounted on the shaft to permit its removal so that access can be secured to presently described operating elements normally lying beneath the table. Mounted in the table and extending about its periphery are a plurality of spaced tubes 3|. As will presently appear, the pimento strips are inserted into each of these and thereafter an olive is placed on the tube.

Referring to Figure 1, the'table is advanced stepwise past a tube filling station generally indicated at 32. At this station each tube is filled with a pimento strip. Filled tubes move through the olive positioning station generally indicated at 33, whereat an operatorpositions on each upwardly extending and filled tube a previously pitted olive. The table then advances toward the olive stuffing station 34 wherein the stuffing placed in each tube at station 32 is forced into the olives carried on the tubes. Thereafter the table advances to the stuffed .olive removing station indicated at 35. While a circular table has been disclosed as the preferred form of conveyor for the filling tubes, any other'form' can'be uti-. lized such as one moving over a path in a Vertical plane. I

Table rotation The stepwise advance of the table 26 is secured by employing a suitable Geneva movement. As

"appears in Figures 2, 4, 5 and 6, I mount a Geneva wheel 38 on the lower end of shaft 2|. The periphery of this wheel includes a plurality of notches 39 connected together by circular indentations 4|. A continuously rotated shaft 42 is supported in suitable bearings 43 and carries a Geneva drive element indicated generally at 44 which is keyed to shaft 42. It carrie pin 46 which is adapted to enter into each slot 39 in turn as the shaft 42 is continuously rotated. As appears in Figures 3, 5 and 6,- shaft 42 is cut away as at 41 so that when the pin is in engagement with a slot it is effective to rotate the Wheel; during that period the pin is in a slot, cut away portion 41 on shaft 42, permits the pin to rotate the wheel. As the pin moves out of a slotyshaft 42 engages an indentation to center and lock the table in a predetermined position.

Shaft 42 is driven by a spiral cut helical gear 48 on a shaft 49, gear 48 engaging a like gear 5| on shaft 42 and which forms a part of element 44. Shaft 49 is mounted in suitable bearings indicated at 52 in the several walls I6, one end of the shaft extending beyond the housing and carr'y'ing a pulley 53 to be driven by any suitable constantly moving prime mover.

The pimento preparing mechanism drive Mounted adjacent one end of the shaft 49 is an eccentric 55 keyed to the shaft. The surface of this eccentric is followed by a roller 56 carried upon the vertically reciprocating plunger support 51, bifurcated as at 58 to slide on the shaft 49 which acts as a guide. A vertically extending plunger 60 is supported in suitable vertical bearings 6| carried upon cover I I. As the shaft 49 is rotated, plunger Ellis reciprocated to operate certain presently described mechanism.

The pimento feed Mounted upon cover I! is a cylinder 61 within which a plunger 68 is positioned. Operatively mounted as at 69 on an end of the plunger is one end of a pimento conveyor structure generally indicated at I0. This conveyor includes a conveyor belt II formed of a suitable material which will carry pimento without permitting the pimento to slip thereon, such as a suitable rubber composi-.

Pimento shaving Between rollers 12 and I4 a trough like member BI is provided, engaging the under side of the conveyor belt 'II. A suction is applied to the apertures 83 in the belt II by a vacuum pump (not shown) and connected to trough 8| through passage 82; the suction is applied to the under side of the belt and to pimento carried on the upper side of the belt through apertures 83 in the belt to hold pimento firmly on the belt while the pimento is shaved by a transverse rotating knife 84 positioned immediately above the belt between rollers I2 and I4. The knife extends across the width of the belt and is spaced from the belt so that the pimento is shaved to a uniform thick- 4 ness, excess pimento being thrown off and dis charged by the rapidly rotating knife. An electric motor 81 is mounted on the side of the conveyor structure to rotate the knife at a high speed.

Pimento conveyor advance Mounted adjacent to cam 55 is another cam 9| keyed to shaft 49. Directly over the center line of the shaft a vertically reciprocating plunger 92 is mounted in suitable bearings indicated at 93 and supported on cover IT. The lower end of the plunger is guided by pin 94 moving in a slot 96 in a depending portion 91 of the bearing 93. This end of the plunger also carries a roller 98 engaged with the cam 9|. The upper end of the plunger 92 carries a collar 99 suitably secured thereto and having an extending ciprocal in vertical guides H4.

'- positioned stuffing tube 3|.

arm IOI. The arm includes a vertically extending portion I02 providing a support for a lever I03 mounted pivotally thereon at I04, and urged by a spring I05 to engage a pin I06. When plunger 92 moves upward, arm I03 is brought into engagement with a ratchet wheel I01 mounted on shaft I3 to rotate the ratchet wheel in a counterclockwise direction in Figure 9, spring I05 permitting the arm to be retracted as the plunger 92 returns to its lowermost position. In this way the conveyor II is advanced step by step to feed material off the end thereof over the pimento guide plate and support I08 positioned at the end of the conveyor belt II.

The pimento cut-017 and tucking 'arm extending over the run of the conveyor.-

An extension III is secured thereto, the extension running along the run of the conveyor in the direction of advance. At its forward end, the extension III carries a knife plate II2 re- The plate is apertured as at II6 to permit a pimento strip advanced off the conveyor and over the guide I08 to pass through the aperture and engage lip I I1 formed on funnel I I 8 supported on the front of the conveyor structure ID. A block I20 is secured as by rivets I2I to an upper portion of the knife plate II2. A finger I22 depends from this block to engage and force down into funnel IIB a strip of pimento extended between guide I08 and lip II'I.

Operation gaged with adjustable collar I26 on plunger 60.-

The downward movement of the conveyor frame is limited by the bottom of tube I2'I, which continues funnel II8, engaging the rim I29 on a Spring I00 ensures a snug engagement of the tube and a tube rim. However, the downward movement of plunger 60 continues and knife edge I30 on the upper portion of aperture H6 in the knife plate is brought into action, severing the pimento from that remaining on the conveyor belt II and plate I08. At thes'ame'time, finger I22 forces the pimento. into the funnel II8. Thereafter, the pimento, in the funnel I I8 is drawn into the tube rioftiorf'IZI by suitably applied suction, presently described hereinafter in detail.

.flam's9l and 55 are so formed that'the advance of the pimento conveyor belt II and reci-proca-tingmovement of the plunger 66 are-suitablyjti-med with each other and with the'step by step. rotation of the stuffing table 26.

Transfer of thepz'mlento ,Referrin-g',particularly to Figures 10 and 11, plunger 92 carries an arm I6I secured to collar 99. The arm I6I is bifurcated anda stud I62 is provided to drawthe bifurcated arm securely around a tube through the arm and .which-is-clamped by; the arm and stud I62 so the tube is reciprocated with plunger 92. The lower end of tube I63 is closed by a plug I64, while an intermediate portion of the tube has an aperture I65 therein. The tube is reciprocated vertically in a stationary member I 61, the latter being secured to table I1 by a nut I68. Member I6! includes a passage I69 communicating with the atmosphere and a pipe I'II leading to a suitable vacuum pump. When the tube I63 is in that position in which it appears in full lines in Figure 10, the vacuum is applied to the tube from pipe I'II but aperture I65 is not in alignment for vacuum application. When plunger 92 and arm I6I are raised to the dotted line position in Figure 10, the tube then extends through a positioned pimento carrying receptacle 3| with aperture I65 opposite pipe III for vacuum application to place a suction upon the upper end I12 of the tube I63 so that the pimento in the funnel H8 is engaged by the end of the tube and is held firmly by application of the vacuum. Thus, the tube is effective upon being lowered, to draw pimento down into the receptacle 3|, through which it has just advanced. However, when the tube reaches the position just beneath the receptacle, aperture I65 is moved from vacuum application and is again placed in communication with the atmosphere and so releases the pimento so that the latter is permitted to remain in the receptacle 3|. I

Ejection of the material As each filled tube 3| advances past the olive positioning station 33, an olive is placed thereon by the operator. When the olives and filled tubes arrive at the stuffing transfer station 34 each olive is engaged by a suitable retainer indicated at MI and slidably mounted in a support I42. A light spring I43 is provided between the retainer MI and its support to permit only a limited pressure application to the olive. Support I42 is mounted upon an arm I44 which in turn is mounted upon a vertically reciprocating plunger I46 supported in a vertical bearing I41. The lower end of the plunger is engaged with a cam I48 similar to cam 55 which is followed by a roller I49 carried upon a plunger support I50 similar to plunger support 57. As each tube 3| is advanced to the transfer station, plunger I46 is lowered and retainer I4I engages an olive positioned on the tube to retain it during transfer of the filling from the tube into the positioned and retained olive.

Transfer of the tube filling material To accomplish transfer of the tube filling, a vertically reciprocal plunger I52 is mounted in suit- I63 which extends vertically,

able vertically extending bearings- I53; similar to bearings- '93, the plur'igeralso 'being' similar to plunger '92 except that its-end I54 is adapted to enter into each" tube 31 as the tube-is positioned ca m I56, similar tocam 9|, is provided on shaft 49 to raise and lowerplung'er I52. 'I'claim: 4

1. In a machine of the characterdescribed; an

open ended verticaltubeof generallycircular section and having a funnel of generally rectangw' lar shape in horizontal section provided at the upper end thereof, said funnel having a majordown into said tube to tuck saidlength of material, positioned across the upper end of said funnel upon itself into a cylindrical plug; means for withdrawing the fiat finger from the tube; a conveyor having a plurality of serially arranged vertical open-ended transfer tubes thereon; means for moving the conveyor past the lower end of the first mentioned tube to receive the cylindrical plug of material from said first mentioned tube; and means for transferring the cylindrical plug of material from within the first mentioned tube to a positioned transfer tube to fill the transfer tube.

2. In a machine of the character described; an open ended vertical tube of generally circular section and having a funnel at its upper end, means for placing over the funnel a strip of material for tucking upon itself in the tube; a flat finger positioned above said tube and aligned centrally of the tube; means for moving said finer down into said tube to tuck a strip of material, previously positioned across the upper end of said tube, upon itself and form a cylindrical plug; means for withdrawing the fiat finger from the tube; a conveyor having a plurality of serially arranged vertical open ended transfer tubes thereon; means for moving the conveyor past the lower end of the tucking tube to position one transfer tube at a time beneath the tucking tube to receive the cylindrical plug of material from the tucking tube; means for transferring the cylindrical plug material from the tucking tube to a positioned transfer tube to fill the transfer tube; means for retaining a cored olive in position on the upper end of a filled transfer tube; and a plunger for moving the cylindrical plug of material from a transfer tube into an olive While the olive is retained in position by said retaining means.

3. In a machine of the character described; an open ended vertical tube of circular section and having a funnel of generally rectangular shape in horizontal section provided at the upper end thereof, said funnel having a major and a minor axis; a fiat finger positioned above said tube and aligned centrally of the tube and extending in a plane parallel to the minor axis of the funnel; means for feeding continuously a strip of material to position the length thereof over the upper end of the funnel; means for cutting said length following its positioning over said funnel end; means for moving said finger down into said tube to tuck said length of material, positioned across the upper end of said funnel, upon itself and form a cylindrical plug; means for withdrawing the flat finger from the tube; a conveyor having a plurality of serially arranged vertical open ended transfer tubes thereon; means for moving the conveyor past the lower end of the first mentioned tube to position one transfer tube at a time beneath the first mentioned tube to receive the cylindrical plug of material from the first mentioned tube; means for transferring the cylindrical plug of material from within the first mentioned tube to a positioned transfer tube to fill the transfer tube; means for retaining a cored olive in position on the upper end of a filled transfer tube; and a plunger for moving the cylindrical plug of material from a transfer tube into an olive while the olive is retained in position by said retaining means.

- GEORGE W. ASHLOCK, JR.

REFERENCES CITED file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Brown Feb. 5, 1901 Newcomb Mar. 23, 1915 Barggren Nov. 21, 1922 Tuttle July 29, 1924 Siegert Sept. 20, 1927 Wanders Nov. 20, 1928 Gardner Nov. 8, 1932 Slocum Nov. 7, 1939 Joa May 12, 1942 Ransbottom Feb. 22, 1944 Smith June 20, 1944 Ball Sept. 11, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Sweden Sept. 5, 1927 

